


It Takes One to Know One

by finch_in_flight



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Rhato - Fandom
Genre: F/M, I lied, Jay's a dick at first, M/M, New 52-ish timeline, Platonic! Roy/Reader, Reader Insert, Slight Canon Divergence, bisexual jason, everyone is a little gay, gender neutral reader, he gets a siblingparent out of the reader, im rewriting canon, kinda college AU, stolen arcs from Arkham Knight, tim is a sad boy but that's okay i still love him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2019-08-27 12:20:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16702447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finch_in_flight/pseuds/finch_in_flight
Summary: Uprooted from Colorado to Gotham City, you make your new life, blissfully ignorant of the crime that goes on around you. Until, of course, you get caught in the middle of it. College was one thing, but vigilantes and a giant bat? Now that, in itself, is a whole different thing.Jason Todd x Reader, multi-chapter, planned to update at least once a week. Everyone is a little gay, gender neutral reader, slight canon divergence.I'm doing RHATO timeline Jason, just giving him his white streak back. He, Roy, and Kori are still the Outlaws, the old Titans team is back (because I miss Garth), and I'm including story arcs from the Arkham Knight games just to push things along.Mainly fluff, some graphic themes to come, eventual smut, and a whole lot of quote worthy dialogue.Posted on my wattpad first, @finch_in_flight





	1. 1 // An Unfortunate First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Here I am, still in Batfam hell. I'll probably end up writing a Dick Grayson/Reader story for Alysa at some point. 
> 
> Yeehaw. Enjoy

You were new to Gotham City, to say the least. Unawares of the dangers it held and the secrets if harbored, you signed on for the deal of a lifetime, packed your bags, and set off for the Unites States' second most sinful city, right after Vegas.

You were from a semi-suburban area of Colorado, bunking it out with your mom and two brothers while enrolled in community college, when you found your calling: mathematics. In high school, you'd nearly failed your math courses through the years, barely scraping by, and oddly enough, you passed physics with almost an A. Now that, that was a weird coincidence. Nonetheless, you'd started college in hopes of being a biology major, finding some sort of passion for cytology or microbiology.

Instead, all you learned was how to draw the structure of glucose over and over, and how methionine is the scientific beginning of life, and how DNA is one hell of a compound that was technically made of sugar. Your studies were tedious, and you found the open ended mess filled with weird rules that made up the science of biology a bit much, and that's when your love of math kicked in finally. Your little spanish professor started the first class saying math was a language, and since then you'd been digging into it as much as you could.

You practiced problems and even on the online homework you had straight 100's, maintaining a solid 98% in the class. MAT 121 was a breeze for you and you loved every second of the homework.

It's how you got your full ride scholarship to the prestigious school in the middle of Gotham, a post secondary school for those rich enough to have gone to Gotham Academy for their K-12 years, aptly named Gotham College of STEM and Arts. You'd come to find most people referred to it GCSA, or even Gotham University. You'd been invited, your tuition being funded through both a scholarship and the J. Todd Memorial Grant from the school in helping you pursue astrophysics, and you were only a college freshman at the time. How you got selected was partially luck, except you didn't believe in that fully. Luck is self made, and karmic destiny is truly karmic up until a point. It's up to the people to push the world.

So here you were, bundled in a hoodie and cut off sweats made into shorts, ratty converse on, crammed in the front corner of the classroom, right by the wall. The wall with no windows, you just liked leaning against it. The sizes of the classrooms were small, much like the ones from high school. GCSA prided themselves on their small class sizes, it allowed for better comprehension and a more rounded education in terms of student to teacher understanding, and for someone with severe social anxiety, you loved it.

You had your earbuds in, zoning out a bit, possibly dissociating, while the room filled up. First day of GCSU's higher math classes, a hellish mix of calculus and physics, and damn were you ready.

A composition notebook lay in front of you, open, it's pages filled with equations and your work on problems. Deciding to actually give a damn at the gross time of ten in the morning, you flipped to the nearest blank page, and took out a pen, labeling the top with the date and the word "lecture," just to stay a little organized. By the time you looked up, your GCSU math professor arrived, and class began.

You stopped by your dorm after class, switching out what you needed for your next class, and grabbing one of the many cheese danishes you had crammed in the tiny fridge in your room. Your scholarships and grants funding allowed you to be one of Those students who had their own bathroom in their room, and since the dormitories were mixed gender, you were living with a rather obnoxious redhead who was studying engineering, who had a love of pyrotechnics, and a bad habit of choking on smoke when he tried to look cool with cigarettes. You shut that down real fucking fast, telling him to do it outside or you'd throw his computer out of the window. He had no qualms, and listened.

His name was Roy, and you liked him. He was goofy and sweet, and underneath that he had a heart of gold, although severely cracked. He'd been through some shit, but so have you, and pain isn't a competition. The two of you bonded over cooking shows on Netflix, and talking about trauma, because to be honest? That's one of the best ways to work through it. Find someone who understands, and simply talk about it. You two had been living in the same dorm for about a week before your classes started, classes in general were oddly spaced throughout two weeks for start dates, partially to help students adjust to the workload, as well as the living arrangements.

Two weeks and one day, and you could easily call Roy a best friend of yours. He was from Colorado too, growing up in a more rural area of the Boulder valley, with a love for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science that rivaled your own. He liked baked goods, and once he found out you did too, he started bringing back boxes of them to your shared space. He called it home, you called it base, and from then on you jokingly referred to is as headquarters for your scheming. Roy was nice, and you were nicer.

Roy was out right now, most likely in class, although you didn't really know his schedule. It's not like you didn't care, he simply didn't share. At least not about his whereabouts. You didn't mind though, it was a nice surprise to come back to find your HQ empty. You scuttled about, unawares of the shower in your room running. How you missed the noise was a mystery, or maybe not, because you still had your earbuds in.

Having switched out your books and grabbed your laptop, you swung your backpack covered in FFXV and NASA patches over your shoulder, and turned around. Then you stopped, your mouth falling open.

Having just stepped out of your bathroom in your shared dorm with Roy was one hunk of a man, whose skin was littered in scars, his dark hair having a white streak in the front, and a smug look plastered across his face. He looked like a total bad boy, and unfortunately, you had a Thing for bad boys. And also femme girls because let's be real, girls are great.

"I don't mind being your eye candy, but maybe close your mouth, the only time I like anyone making that face at me is when they're on their knees between my legs-"

He didn't get to finish, seeing as though you threw one of your shoes from beside your bed at him, nailing him in the forehead before you slipped past him, and ran out the door frantically texting Roy.

«Holy fuck Roy there's a naked dude in our room WHY IS HE THERE ??????»

A minute passed before he texted you back. «ah that's just a friend, he's using the shower»

«Your friend is fucking ripped» you replied quickly, tapping on your phone as you slowed down from speeding through the halls like The Flash on meth. Random naked men in your room is something you can't really get over quickly.

Your phone buzzed, and you looked back down. «hell yeah he is. wanna go get pizza with me tonight, i'm your favorite ;)»

«Don't you have an exam to study for?»

«ah shit ______, way to ruin my buzz»

«You don't even do drugs»

«let me pretend... .. ......»

You rolled your eyes at your roommate, and set off to astronomy, all the while again once unawares of the secrets Gotham held.

A little secret called Roy's friend is actually dead and not at all a student, and his very memorial fund is paying for your college.

Jason Todd, the one and only.


	2. 2 // Bitches Get Stitches

It had been a solid few hours since you forgot about the naked man in your dorm, focusing on classes and food with Roy, the two of you squished into a booth at a nearby pizza joint that had good reviews online. Between bites of the pizzas you two bought, you and Roy told one another about your days, giggles ensuing.

"So anyway, as I was saying—" Roy swallowed a bite— "Dick and I were assigned as lab partners in chemistry, and he managed to fuck up super badly, and put the base straight into the indicator, completely fucking up out stoichiometry lab, and we didn't have enough time to redo it, so we rolled with it. Feigning stupidity, which with Wally in our group it was easy."

"Shit man, I remember the anatomy class stories from your high school, when he dropped half the sheep's brain and nobody noticed?"

"Oh ______, you don't even know the half of it—"

You deadpanned, throwing a balled up napkin at Roy. "You're utterly ridiculous, Harper."

He smiled back. "You know it."

Phones, such distracting things. Baby boomers hated them, gen z lived off them. And Roy? Well, he fished his out of his pocket after it buzzed, his eyebrows raising as he read whatever text he just received. "Hey, so. I hate having to do this, but I gotta blast." He looked back up at you, apologetic.

You waved him off. "No worries, go. I'll be okay. Want me to bring home the leftovers?"

His smile returned once more. "Yes please, you're a lifesaver!" He pressed a chaste kiss to your cheek before dashing out of the restaurant and down the street, and for once, you were aware of how serious his expression had turned.

Asking for a box, you packed up yours and Roy's leftover slices, and set out back to the dorms. The walk wouldn't be more than half an hour at most, it was only a mile with some big streets. Seeing as though it was night, it might be faster since traffic wouldn't really be an issue. You were a bit afraid of the dark, if you were to be honest, and decided to take the longer yet better lit way to the dorms. Better safe than sorry, and late than dead.

That's something Roy taught you, stressing it that you should never ever be out on the streets of Gotham after 10 pm, that's when stuff gets shady. It seems like he forgot what time it was when he left you, though. And so you walked on, cooling pizza in cardboard boxes in your arms as you went block after block, staying in the light of the street lamps. You didn't dare wear your earbuds now, if what Roy said was true, you'd need to keep a keen ear and eye out to make sure you weren't mugged, raped, or worse yet, murdered.

Yeah, that was a Thing here in Gotham, and you were slowly learning just how dangerous this city was. It was a ticking time bomb, only showing its true face at night. The drug cartels, the brothels, the bounties and murders, and the absolute chaos. It all came out once the sun danced away, like every Purge movie but somehow so much more worse. Probably because you were living it now.

Tires squealing pulled you out of your intense hyper focus on your surroundings, and you threw yourself away from the curb and against a building seconds before a black van rounded the corner way too quickly. The van rocked as it turned, slamming down onto four tires once again as you heard people yelling from inside. A man popped himself out of the passenger window, gun in hand, shooting at something behind the van.

Or someone.

Your eyebrows shot up as a red red Jeep skirted the corner at a slightly more respectable speed, a man dressed solidly in red driving, a flatcap not unlike Roy's perched on his head like a beacon of suspicion. A man in a leather jacket and a red helmet was shooting back at the van, surprisingly trying to go for the wheels. And just as fast as they came, they left.

What in the world was that?

Roy would have some explaining to do, not anyone has that color green cap with the raccoon mixed with mountains embroidered on. And you'd know this, you were the one to stitch the raccoon patch onto his hat. You wanted to believe it wasn't true and that Roy was at someone's house while they were going through a breakup, or something like that, but deep down inside, in your gut, you had the sneaking suspicion that, yeah. It's Roy.

What a weird day, you thought to yourself as you resumed your walk home. Reaching the dorms un-assaulted, you stalked up the stairs, and to your room. The lovely G118, your home. Upon entry you kicked your shoes off, and went to go put the pizza away, only to catch yourself and the boxes a second later as you tripped on something. Looking down, you were met with the sight of the shoe you threw earlier. With that, you were smacked with the reminder of Roy's ripped friend, and it settled on your shoulders that you really didn't know much about your roommate. Yikes.

Pizza tucked away in the fridge, and you in your bed, you scrolled aimlessly on your phone as the night passed on. You were worried for Roy, and if your intuition was anything to rely on, it said to be ready. Something not so good was going to happen.

A tapping at your room's window spooked you, a quiet "fuck," leaving your mouth as you dropped your phone. Sliding from the covers, you went to the window, pulling up the blinds to be met with the sight of Roy, or well, the man in red. Who was obviously Roy once you saw him up close. He was panting heavily, and that's when you saw it. The red helmeted dude from earlier was being dragged up the fire escape by Roy.

You quickly shoved the window open, helping Roy drag the man into your room.

"You don't happen to have any medical knowledge?" Roy squeezed your shoulder, resting his forehead against yours.

"Luckily for you, I do."

Roy pulled away. "He needs stitches, I'll grab the first aid kid. Find some of your sewing stuff, we'll have to do this with regular thread."

You nodded, cutting off a good length of the cream thread you used for almost everything, threading the needle and tying the base knot. Roy arrived back with the first aid kit, a small cup, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. You dropped the needle and thread into the cup, where Roy doused them in the alcohol while you found the cut on his friend.

Cut would be a nice way to say it. This was nasty and long, horribly ripped, like some sort of monster tried to gouge his insides out. Thankfully it wasn't very deep, and you felt confident enough. You'd have to disinfect it, and you didn't have a syringe on you to get down in it. Wincing, you took the rubbing alcohol from Roy as asked him to separate the sides of the cut. Staring down at what's practically a red canyon, you thought about how best to handle this. With a crinkle of your nose, and a towel under Roy's buddy's side to catch drips, you just went for it. Doused the fuckin thing, and Roy's friend was out so cold that he didn't react at all, which was a godsend. Because holy shit, it would've hurt like a bitch if he was awake.

Using clean gauze from the kit, you mopped up the extra alcohol and wiped the skin around the outside. "Wait," you said, pulling back. "Gloves."

"Shit, you're right." Roy duh around in the first aid kit, finding two pairs of vinyl disposable gloves, and the two of you quickly slapped them on before getting back into positions. You fished the disinfected needle and thread out of the cup, and got to work doing the only suture you knew—one that apparently veterinarians use on animals, and can be used for clean hiding of actual tears in sewing.

With shaky hands and raging anxiety, you managed to get the stitches in alignment, now to pull to close the cut. This, you were worried about. Pull too hard to close it, and you could tear the skin. Pull not hard enough, and the cut would still be open. Wrapping the leftover thread around your index and middle fingers, you tugged gently. Working your way slowly, making sure everything was shut tight.

The cream thread turned a dark red as it shifted through the skin, the cut getting slowly messy once again. You and Roy would have to wipe it up once you were done.

After what felt like five hours, even though it was probably closer to fifteen or so minutes, you finished. Wiping up the blood left of Roy's buddy, and wrapping everything in the now nasty towel, you wrapped it all up in a plastic bag from a 7-Eleven down the street, and threw it all in the trash can. Biohazard much? You didn't care, you just did medical work on someone despite being a math major, and the only "training" you've ever received was being CPR certified and taking an anatomy course like Roy did in high school. Big yikes.

Careful not to pop his new stitches, Roy heaved the masked guy into his bed, popping off the helmet to revels a domino mask underneath. Nice. He turned to you, taking his own mask off, and shrugging away the compound bow and bigass quiver of arrows Roy had on him. "Guess I have some explaining to do," he said as he kicked off his boots and started changing out of his getup.

"I'm a vigilante, big surprise. I'm known as Arsenal, that there is Red Hood. I'm only telling you this since you just saved our shit, and you obviously know who I am now."

He continued on after a small pause. "I'm in college because I want to be, but the nightlife still needs me, you know? It's why I'm out late a lot, it's why I had to leave you at dinner. Duty called, and while I'm not a hero, I still keep this city safer than not. And Red Hood, he's the guy from the shower this morning. We've been trying to get an apartment, but with him legally dead and me in college, we have to put everything in my name, but I don't have an actual, and legal, paying job, you feel me? It's just all so. So, stupid."

He was in some pajamas of his, and sat down on the end of your bed. Grabbing your hands, he looked you dead in the eye. "I don't have grants or scholarship money, all I have is a loan for classes I pay with the cash I make doing bounty work, ______."

Your funding for school was more than enough to get a decent apartment, and your mind was whirring a mile a minute thinking of how you could help Roy. Like it or not, you knew who his persona was, which meant you were part of this.

You squeezed his hands back. "Find a cheap place, I can help pay for it. In exchange you and your friend need to do the chores, and no more secrets, Roy. I like you a lot, and in all honesty I think sticking by the two of you will be much safer than being on my own."

"______, you'll have a target on your back if you do that, but I promise we'll keep you safe."

You pulled him into a hug, feeling him hug back tightly for a minute before a groan of pain from Roy's bed split the two of you apart.


	3. 3 // Middleton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! We’re diving into the RHATO comics with good old Evil hunting. And for anyone who chooses to say Jason’s a dick, it’s intentional. And if you’re worried about me making the reader fall in love with him, dick personality and all, don’t worry. He’s getting character development before we jump into romance. The only toxic we need is the one by Britney. In the meantime, stuff with Roy unfolds, and I am a happy writer. 
> 
> Roy deserves all the love.

You regretted whatever burst of hormones and anxiety gave you the bright idea of paying for an apartment for Roy and his buddy when you woke up the next morning, Roy having you pulled against him, having slept in your bed because, “it’s cold!” And, “there’s no room in my bed anyway.”

Bitch.

Roy was a touchy person, not that you minded. He was sweet, for sure, and none of his actions ever made you uncomfortable. He never made any advances either, it was the whole getting to hold someone close that quelled his anxious tendencies. Something you were a little proud of at the moment. Keeping him calm enough to sleep a log just by being in his presence.

Your eyes drifted from the ceiling to the guest in Roy’s bed, still not knowing his name, just that he was hot under the mask and you’d thrown a shoe at him like a moron in a bad anime. Yikes. Roy had managed to set out a change of clothes for the Red Hood to wear once he woke up. Both to hide his vigilante persona, and because the Kevlar that made up his suit was fucked. Plus there was the whole bandaged over giant gash you had to close up with nothing more than a first aid kit and some sewing materials. Probably one of the weirder moments of your life.

You zoned out, still staring in the general direction of Red Hood. It was too early to be awake and thinking.

“Eye candy, again?”

You inhaled sharply and jumped at the words, instantly regretting it since Roy let out a noise of protest. From across the room, Red Hood had his head turned to you, a lopsided grin slathered over his face. He looked insufferable and smug, before his look turned to one of confusion a minute later.

“Are you and Roy together?”

You felt your cheeks warming up, the compromising situation you were in wasn’t helping. Shirtless Roy Harper pressed against your back, his arm slung over your waist in the most no homo kind of way. “No?” You offered as an answer, internally cringing at how unsure you sounded.

Red Hood propped himself up on his elbow, still making what you’d assume is eye contact with you. The white lenses on the domino mask made it a bit hard, but luckily for you in a swift motion, he took it off. And that’s when you realized what a pickle you were in. One red headed menace sleeping in your bed with you flush against him, a rather hot menace, and his jacked and super pretty friend across the room from you now currently stripping out of his suit remains and into Roy’s extra clothes. You felt like you were living in a bad romance movie. Two guys, one choice, two beds, one thrown shoe, three lives, one ending. Dun dun dunnnnnn.

“What’s your name, I can’t call you Roy’s piece of ass forever?” Red Hood asked, making a bit of a show on peeling off his Kevlar in front of you. One look at his torso and your mouth practically watered. Homeboy was the shape of a goddamn Greek god. Broad shoulders, defined muscles, a slight triangle shape in his shoulder to his ratio. And god bless, those thighs. He was fucking gorgeous. Unfortunately his personality was very much, well, ugly.

Your eyes slid to the stitches from last night. They were intact, and the skin around was a bit flared, but they looked alright. That being said, it took you a minute to register the bandages were off. Panic set it, and you flung yourself out of the bed to grab some gauze and tape, and some neosporin. Oh, and of course, it was accompanied with a whisper of “fuck,” to which Red Hood snickered.

“Is Fuck your name?”

Supplies in hand, you pointed at the bed, face melting into one of annoyance. “Sit.”

“Usually people take me to dinner before they take me to bed-“

“Fucking sit down before you break your stitches and bleed to death.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time, princess.”

“Shut it, you insufferable prick!” You threw the tape and gauze at him. “Fix your own goddamn shit if you’re going to keep the shitty attitude.” You turned on your heel, and slipped back into bed with Roy, making a bit of a show in curling up with your idiot of a roommate. Better to have Red Hood think you’re Roy’s than to have him hit on you in such a vulgar way.

“Jason.”

You glared over your shoulder, seeing Red Hood’s smirk gone, and a shirt on him. “What?”

“My name is Jason.”

“Good for you.”

“You know what? I’m trying to be nice, and you’re just making it really hard on me.”

You faced him once again, turning over in Roy’s arms. “You’re a vigilante that was brought to me with a tear bigger than the Grand Canyon in your side, hitting on me like some sort of pedophilic forty-five year old man hitting on a young waitress, not to mention you’re smug and now you’re being a complete prick. It’s four in the fucking morning, and I have classes. I already stayed up late fixing your shit so you wouldn’t die. Maybe have some humility to you, asshole.”

He stated you dead in the eyes, his insufferable smug look coming back. “Takes one to know one, babe.”

“I am. Not. Your babe.”

Not even two seconds later a pillow slammed Jason in the face, Roy awake and glaring at his friend. “Dude. What did I say about hitting on my roomie?”

Jason raised his hands in defeat. “To not to.”

Pulling you over, then depositing himself on the other side of you, Roy made a barrier between you and Jason. And you? You were sandwiched between Roy and the wall, and to be honest? It was comfy.

“Sorry about that, he’s crude and a bitch at first. He’s really nice once you get to know him, I promise.”

“Roy, he makes everything into an innuendo and he stares at me like an object.”

“You hate him?”

“I hate him.”

Roy ran a hand through your hair. “Try to get some sleep, I’ll kick him out before you have to get up for classes.”

You nodded, and nuzzled against Roy, comfortable with the idea of snuggling him. He was soft and gentle compared to the prettyboy across the room.

Hours slipped by, and the day was a haze, your head pounding from the lack of sleep and early morning annoyance. You had a warm breakfast pastry in your hand as you drank some water, swallowing some Tylenol, hoping it’ll make you functional. You were meandering around a small park, eyeing a bench to sit on like it was a lifeboat. Sitting sounded heavenly. And so did your pastry.

Your mind wandered, noting how things between you and Roy were closer, and certainly more intimate than earlier. You were kind of loving it, it had been a long time since you felt this way. The growing crush, the flutters when you think of them staring at you with a gaze of adoration. Roy would be a good boyfriend, if you ever got to that point.

Maybe you would? Is that what you wanted?

Yeah. You think it is.

You slipped your phone out of your pocket, a little anxious now that you made your mind up.

«Hey. Do you want to get dinner tonight? Someplace nice, just us?» your thumb hovered over send. You and Roy only ever went to dinner alone, and you were hoping he’d pick up the innuendo. He was smart.

No regrets, you hit send, and played the waiting game.

«D: i want to so badly but i have to leave town tonight for a nightlife thing. jay, kori, and I got reports about a town in colorado having sightings for someone we’ve been looking for»

You couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness rip through you. Your phone buzzed again, screen lighting up.

«come with me? the three of us will keep you safe the entire time, and i’d feel better knowing you’re with me than alone»

You typed back a simple response. «Please?»

«always, ______. go pack some clothes, it’ll only be for a weekend. promise. we’re leaving at three, see you at our room?»

You texted a small “of course,” while you peeled yourself off the bench, and out of the park. Home was calling, and you were going back to CO with Roy to spend time with him while he was being his hero persona.

That sort of confused you. He was so willing to bring you along and get you mixed into all of this, although it probably was more for the fact that you knew now. Ignorance wouldn’t keep you safe, so diving head in and sticking by his side was probably the best choice. There wasn’t much else you could do, really.

Who was Kori, though?

All thoughts went out the window when you opened the door to your headquarters and were met with the sight of Roy pulling suitcases out from under his bed, a girl floating in the air above him, while Jason sat on his bed with crossed arms and a foul expression.

“We’re seriously bringing them along, Roy? Are you fucking insane?” Ah, Jason was talking about you.

There was a look of desperation on Roy’s face as he answered. “I don’t want to leave them alone. Not with us halfway across the country and them knowing who we are. Who knows what kind of trouble will find them, let alone hurt them.”

The girl, you now noticed was heavily tan, skin shimmering orange even, was also gorgeous. What’s with this team of weirdly pretty people? She was dressed in a revealing outfit that left little to the imagination, the silver and purple of it complementing her skin nicely. Her hair was what made you most interested. It floated around her like it had a mind of its own, and it was such a pretty gradient, looking like fire.

Her voice was even prettier too, and you felt yourself melt a little. “I think it’ll be much fun to bring they along, they seem kind.”

“They really are, Kori.”

“Well, they cussed me out and called me a prick. They weren’t so kind to me.”

Roy scoffed. “You have the personality of a cactus and hiss at anyone who tries to be nice to you, what do you expect, Jason?”

You pushed the door open, finding now a good time to come pack your stuff for the little trip back home. As soon as Kori saw you, she sent you the sweetest smile, one to which you beamed back. At least one of Roy’s teammates were nice upon first meeting.

Ten minutes later and you were ready to go, the bare essentials packed. You had a feeling anything more would be dangerous in some aspects, besides, if you lost anything you had with you right now, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

You gave Roy a little nod, and the four of you shuffled on outside to where a cab was. Taking a ride to the airport, Gotham International Airport, you did the fun game of pre-plane chaos. Before you knew it, you were sandwiched between Jason and Roy on the plane, the flight planning to take about three and a half hours.

Three and a half hours next to Jason.

Yikes.

Luck was on your side, though. You fell asleep for the whole thing, pressed against Roy.

Upon arrival to DIA, which is named for Denver yet isn’t near Denver, you grabbed your bags and set out to a waiting car, and began the drive to Middleton, the town where things were kicking up.

Passing Bluecifer, you shot the blue horse statue a big middle finger. It was tradition, you welcome yourself home by flipping the bird to the horse statue that killed its creator by falling on him.

A while later, you found yourself at a bar with Jason and Roy, Kori out doing her own thing at the moment. You knew Roy was an alcoholic in the past, and you kept ordering Shirley temples and other Virgin things for the two of you to drink. You were underage, what can you say.

Things were going alright until Jason was hitting on the girl next to him, a black haired beauty with a cute face and rosy cheeks. That is, until a man put a hand on Jason’s shoulder.

“I don’t reckon you heard me, son. You’re sittin’ on my stool—talkin’ to my lady. Let me help you find a new seat.” His voice was heavy and he sounded drunk, and you were so ready to watch Jason get his ass handed to him.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t how it went. Jason had gotten up off the stool, slammed the guy in the face with his glass, kneed one of the lackeys in the crotch, and jabbed two fingers into the underside of the chin of another. The cops got called on you, and the three of you were being escorted back to the station.

Fuck Jason.

Scratch that, extra fuck Jason.

He left you and Roy outside with a look on his face that said he was going to try to bang the cop lady. So here you were, in the cold, hugging yourself to Roy to stay warm. The snow wasn’t helping at all, but it gave you an excuse to get closer to your new favorite guy.

“Hey you,” he whispered, giving you a soft smile.

You shot him one back. “Hi,” you slipped out with a giggle. Hey man, Roy makes you act like a little schoolgirl in love, and the feeling is obviously mutual. He pressed a kiss to your forehead, seeing how far he could go before you’d stop him. And surprisingly, you didn’t.

“Can I kiss you?”

You nodded, a bright red covering your face, one not unlike Roy’s hair, and he beamed. He looked nervous but so happy, and it was such a nice look on him. He cupped your cheek, oh so gently, and leaned towards you.

His lips pressed against yours, and all you could feel in the moment is him and the cold, and you never wanted it to end. As all things must, it did end. And he looked so happy. So goddamn happy.

A crash from inside the police station pulled your attention away from one another.

“Follow me,” Roy asked you, pulling out an arrow from his quiver, and unfolding his bow. The two of you slipped inside, and you had to cover your mouth to keep from gasping.

Jason was standing, and the cop had her goddamn hand sticking in his chest. Oh hell no. Roy let arrows fly, a solid eight slamming into the back of her head.

That’s when it sunk in. She wasn’t human. She was trying to kill Jason. And Roy just fucking shot arrows through her head. Oh my god.

“Your steel-tipped arrows are but a petty annoyance. Only copper can harm me.” Her voice sent chills up your spine, all the while you were thinking to yourself how stupid it was to reveal secrets like that.

Roy smirked, and you felt yourself turn red again. This was a whole different side of him you’d never seen, and it was hot as hell. His confidence soared, and he looked like he was comfortable in his own skin for once. “Yeah, Jason mentioned that to me on our way to Dullsville.”

He let the arrow with the giant metal head loose, the copper blades of it slamming through the lady’s head. If you could even call it a lady.

“You are toying with dangerous forces, here.” Oh shit she’s going to monologue. Jason was over by you and Roy now, having dashed while Roy distracted whatever this thing was, the three of you standing in the doorway. He had pulled you behind him, shielding you. Something very uncharacteristic of Jason, at least to you.

“I have lived here among the humans in this town for nearly two decades—without incident. I was one of the few in my race that had no interest in controlling these creatures.” Her bashed up face was reforming, you could hear the squelching if it, and you were glad Jason was in the way. You didn’t want to see it. Another surprise, Jason wrapped his hand around yours.

“In short, I was the last Untitled you should have bothered.”

Jason squeezed your hand. “I only tracked you here—because you lashed out at The All-Castle!”

“Prepare for suffering unimaginable.”

Roy started to turn. “Why do I believe her when she says that. You’re the expert, Todd. What do we do now?”

“Leave.” Jason dashed, dragging you along with him, Roy trailing after you two. He was yelling about how Jason was trained by Batman himself but still decided to leave.

To be honest, you didn’t really know who Batman was.


	4. 4 // From Stone to Sand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr? @kaninkind   
> I’m always looking for new friends, plus ideas for the story!!

The three of you only had a moment to find your asses with both hands before you yanked your hand away from Jason, his eyes meeting yours for a moment. No emotions were revealed in them, they just were. He dug through a bag that wasn’t left at the shit motel you were staying at, pulling out his helmet, and slipping the damned thing on.

And now he had very large knives?

Jesus Christ.

A burst of bright yellows and oranges snapped all three of your attentions, Jason mumbling something while Roy yelled, “holy—?! That’s Kori’s energy signature! One of your Untitled friends must have grabbed her!”

Jason punched Roy in the shoulder, completely ignoring you while you stood a good few paces behind the two. “Not their style, and not our problem. Focus.”

“She wouldn’t even be here is it weren’t for you, Jason. Of course it’s our problem.” Bless Roy for voicing your concerns. You kept your mouth shut through it all, eyebrows raising in surprise as the two turn to you.

“______, it’s not our-“ Jason started, and you cut him off.

“She’s your friend you dumbass. Go help her, she needs you two.”

Jason sat on the siding near the station, crossing his arms and looking down while Roy sat next to him, sending you a small thankful smile. Jason kept his head down, hiding whatever he might be showing through his eyes.

“You’re... right. But I can’t leave.” He gestured back at the station. Unfinished business between him and the Untitled.

“Still have to handle the lady from the station?” You asked. Both their gazes slipped up to you, hands on your hips and a stupid grin across your face. “I may not be much help, but give me some directions. I’ll see what I can do. My anxiety took a nap and adrenaline killed my common sense. Let’s do something stupid.”

Roy grinned back. “Stay safe—“ he turned to Jason— “if anything happens to them I’m blaming you. Anyway, I’m on it. See you in hell?”

Jason handed you one of the guns he had in the holsters inside his jacket, tucking a spare pocket knife in the front of your pants, uncomfortably close to you. No remarks though, he had a mission on his mind, and you appreciated it. He laughed, the helmet distorting his voice and making your skin crawl. “Unless there’s anyplace hotter.”

Then he pulled out two shortswords.

“Sweetheart, know how to use one of those?” His voice was a bit softer than expected, less flirty, as he gestured towards the gun he handed you. He showed you the safety, and warned you about the recoil, finishing seconds before the Untitled from the station crawled like something out of a horror movie, and up onto a street lamp.

“This is on you, Jason Todd. Know then that after I kill you, and then everyone else in this town to protect my cover before moving on, this is all because you wouldn’t leave me alone.” Its voice had a grating quality to it, understandable since its head was a mess of spaghetti and smoke right now.

Jason dropped into a fighting stance. “I suppose I could learn to live with the guilt. But I’m betting I’m going to be okay.”

You stayed out of the struggle, really quite happy that the Untitled was stuck on Jason, and ignoring you. On the flip side, he was getting his ass kicked. He lost his helmet a while earlier, the Untitled calling him pathetic for being the final legacy. Whose? You didn’t know.

“Should’ve eaten your heart and—“ Jason cut the Untitled off. “Here’s your chance.” His eyes met yours and you knew what he wanted you to do.

He rushed forward, swords sparking alive with electricity while he lined up the Untitled for your shot. “You and the rest of the Untitled should have kept underground. Your truce was with Ducra and the others who were killed.”

His knives slashed through the Untitled’s skin, pushing it closer to you. “Me? I’m going to kill you and all of your kin.”

Eye contact again.

“One—“

He nodded.

“At a—“

You loaded the gun and pointed.

“Time.”

You pulled the trigger, hitting the Untitled straight in the back, its screams ear-shattering. You held the gun with shaking hands and a lopsided smile. Damn that felt nice. Jason’s eyes met yours from across the pavement parking lot this all took place in, and he smiled. It was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

“Good job out there, babe.” He called out, jogging over to you, taking a second to pick up his fallen hood.

You snorted. “Still not your babe. That was fun though, we should do it again. Maybe with less you getting your ass beat to hell?”

“Sounds absolutely wonderful.” He slung an arm over your shoulder and pulled you in for an awkward hug. “Seriously, ______. You were great, an on another note, I’m sorry about my rudeness.” He pulled back and looked at you. “I’m not a soft person. I’m not particularly nice, and I know that. I shut people out, and I get through life by being crude and defensive. You’re the opposite from what little I’ve seen, and it’s so nice.” He raised his hand and tapped your cheek. “Roy’s lucky to have you, you’re someone who can see through his mess and give him hope. Hell, your enthusiasm even now makes everything a little less dark. Mental illness and trauma is no joke, and I feel Roy and I especially let it push us around sometimes, and I don’t know about him, but I think even just having you as a friend? It kind of makes me want to be better, on some level at least.

“Whether or not I’ll actually get there is another story. I’ve danced this dance before, without a support system, and fell. This time may be different though, and I really hope it will be.” He shook his head and stared you down with a pleasant expression. “You’re stuck with us now. Us Outlaws. Us heroes and vigilantes. And we’re stuck with you. It’s nice, you’re nice.”

You felt a giggle bubble up. “You’re nicer—“

“Nah, I’m a goblin man with depression. But having Roy and Kori, and now you, around makes things a lot less horrible.”

Stuff with Jason felt like it took a 180, and you were a little confused but also happy. Later that night when everyone got back together in the motel, crowded around Chinese takeout, Jason still seemed in a mellow mood. Something which Roy commented on, shoving his fried rice down his throat. Conversation ensued about the day, Kori and Roy telling you and Jason about a weird dinosaur bat alien thing, and you were suddenly glad you stayed with Jason. You trusted Roy, dare say had a Thing for him, but Jason physically exuded a feeling of safety. He was bigger than Roy, not taller, but certainly wider. His shoulders were broad and he carried himself in such a way that when he entered a room, you’d know who was in charge. It was kind of hot. Really hot. And hey, it’s not like you’re dating Roy. You can like them both for now.

Roy kicked a leg out, leaning back against the wall you two were sitting near. “What’s up with you, man. You look content with life for once.”

Jason ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, about myself and how I am. And the timing of everything made a point and gave me a push for what I was waiting for. I can only live my life being a pessimistic asshole for so long, and I can only be so happy doing that.”

“______ cured your depression?”

“Basically.” Jason sent a rather unusually warm smile, looking young and his age finally. Not some sultry man with a tragic backstory. He was a teenager again. “A reminder that there are lovely people in this world, and me being a dick and pushing people away kills opportunities to make bonds and see how lovely the world can be. I sound like an old white lady saying it all, and we certainly have weird and bad stuff that happens. But it’s the nice people that make it all okay, you know?”

Kori nodded sagely. “It makes saving people more rewarding, and the fact that we do good, maybe not in the best of ways, something to be proud of. We’re protecting their smiles.”

“Hell yeah we are,” Roy butted in. “I’m glad to see you looking on the bright side of things, Jay. Are you going to take up Bruce on living at home again?”

“Oh no, I don’t think I’m quite comfortable with that yet, but I’ll make an effort to spend some time with him and Dick. I’ll probably take B up on his offer for a therapist too, one that won’t care that I’m legally dead.”

Wait, Jason. Legally dead. Last name Todd.

J. Todd memorial fund, Bruce? Funded by Bruce Wayne?

Holy shit, you realized with an intense smack of feeling like an idiot, Jason’s memorial fund was paying for your college.

“Hey, weird question.” You spoke up after a second. The trio looked at you to continue. “Jason’s memorial fund is paying for my schooling, does that make him an estranged sugar daddy?”

Roy, without missing a beat, cackled, nearly falling over. Jason stared at you, mouth a little open, lip pulled up on one side. “I wouldn’t complain if you wanted me to be, but I’d certainly change the estranged part to being an intimate or even permanent.”

“You’re nasty, Jason.” Roy managed to wheeze out.

“I know. Thank you.”

The night was full of giggles and bad jokes about sugar daddies, the four of you finishing food and deciding who sleeps with who. In the end it was decided you’d share with Roy, and Kori with Jason. A comfortable decision, and you found yourself snuggled as the little spoon with the tall red headed moron.

As the moon rose high and the sounds of snoring flooded the room, you and Jason just so happened to be on sides of the beds where you two could talk across the little aisle between them. You couldn’t sleep, your eyes still replaying the triumphant moment of you hitting the Untitled. The way Jason regarded you. It was such a stark change, and you’re still not over it. You’ve only known him for a day, and it’s painfully easy to read him, but again, he’s being unusually open on purpose. He doesn’t have much, and he holds on tightly. He pushes people away in fears of being hurt again. You knew he’s died, and you don’t know the circumstances, but you’re sure there’s a lot of stuff wrapped in that bundle. A lot of pain. Probably abandonment issues. It made sense. It also made sense that he’d try to open up so quickly to you. You’re part of the nightlife now, ever since you stitched up his side. You’re an ally, and someone he can afford to keep close. Maybe that’s why he’s had such an open friendship with you so far.

“Hey. Are you still awake?” Speak is the devil. Jason’s hazy voice spoke up from across the aisle.

“Hm?”

“Thank you for today, and for making Roy happy. You didn’t get to see him before this all, but you make him light up like the Fourth of July. That makes me especially happy.”

“Thanks Jason, for letting me into this world that you all live in. A crazy, dangerous, hectic world. Also I’m sorry for throwing a shoe at you during our first meeting.”

You could see him smile through the darkness. “Don’t worry about it, my fault for being a suggestive ass. And in case anyone hasn’t told you? You’re really nice.”

“And you’re nicer, Jason.”

“Sleep well.”

“You too.”


	5. 5 // Losers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll fix any typos later, also follow me on tumblr @kaninkind?

“Oh fuck me sideways—“

Today was not going well. At all.

About a week had passed since you and your new squad of vigilante buds had gone to Colorado to hunt down this thing called an Untitled, something Jason had a grudge against. You’d finally found out why later on; Jason was raised by the All Caste post Batman, which to your understanding were like cool monks with magic, it’s also how Jason was revived, along with this thing called the Lazarus pit. Jason kept his backstory short. “I died, got dumped in the pit, the League gave me to Talia who gave me to Durca, and here I am. A zombie bitch,” was the usual story. That aside, the three supers had buzzed off on some sort of lead for a thing involving Kori, and were in space, maybe? It’s unclear. You got a voicemail from Roy but it kept cutting out. You swear your heard him say something about a random date of Jason’s showing up with them like some wannabe Emma Frost from X-Men, but you chose to ignore it and blame it on bad signal.

On the bright side, you four had found a decent apartment complete with an internal washer and dryer, already installed WiFi, and recently replaced pipes and appliances. Real fucking nice considering it’s Gotham, and with Jason getting on better terms with his adopted dad, the real estate for it was being titled in your name. You owned the joint. Also meant that one of Jason’s brothers was going to come by and help install security.

Or well, he was supposed to.

Tom, or was it Tim? You don’t really remember, but he was supposed to come by and help with the locks and setting up some sensors and a direct line to the Batcave (you still didn’t actually know who or what Batman was, you just knew the name and that apparently he trained Jason) just in case you needed help and none of your roommates were around.

That was about four and a half hours ago.

Jason’s brother was a no show and you had gotten yourself tangled in an SI job meeting at GCSU, getting out late. Not like it mattered, your only other appointment didn’t fUCKING show up. You were a little peeved. A lot peeved. Being late is one thing, but ditching is a whole different thing.

Also? You’d grabbed some groceries on the way back, and one of the bags ripped, and that’s where you are now. Shoving a box of saltines into your backpack and a bottle of some sort of juice in your pocket. You were very much not at all having a good time in any respect of the word.

Making it back to the apartment, you practically kicked the door open. You just wanted to take a goddamn nap. It’s cold and rainy and you’re SAD and your fucking sNacks are squished now. Today sucks ass.

You made it two steps in before something moved in your peripheral vision, and you hit it with your intact plastic bag of shitty pastries. You were not in the mood. Your friends are out in goddamn outer space possibly dying, and there’s some rando in your apartment, and you just!! Want!! To nap!!

“Woah, woAh, chill. Jason sent me!”

You stopped your assault, glaring down at the kid(?) you were beating. With a plastic grocery bag. Of plastic wrapped shitty danishes. At least it wasn’t a coin sock or anything. Or a butter sock like from that one weird show Roy watches when he drinks too much.

The boy looked like he hadn’t slept in six years, and his hair was a little greasy. He was wearing pretty much all black, and looked like a little goth hobo, but that’s just high schoolers. His eyes are what left you snapping out of your mood. They were an icy grey that was nearly blue, and extremely piercing. Jason’s eyes were more of a blue green color, they were on the darker side and softer when you were involved.

Why did you know Jason’s eye color in detail was a mystery to you. Probably had to do with the fact that you checked him out a lot, although you never would admit it. Not like it bothered anyone, Roy and you had come to a mutual kid of bro bond. It was like one day, actually it was specifically three days after Middleton, when the two of you tried kissing and it felt wrong for both parties. Just because romance wasn’t up you two’s alleys doesn’t mean you can’t be idiot best friends. He taught you how to make a homemade pipe bomb and Jason, as the voice of reason, had to stop you two from using it.

But this kid (again you weren’t sure if he was a kid or a really young looking adult) could stare you down and you’d probably piss your pants if he did it with an angry expression.

“Hey. Are you okay?” His voice was nice at least, and he gave you a somewhat pitying look. “I’m Tim, sorry I didn’t show up earlier. Stuff came up and I didn’t have your number, and Jason is out doing who really knows what, and didn’t answer me. And I figured super late would be better than never?” He ended with a sheepish smile and your heart cracked.

You beat the baby with a pastry, you’re a horrible person.

“I am so sorry I hit you-“ you started fumbling for words as you dropped the plastic bag and extended your hand to help him up. He was smiling the whole time, and that made you feel a little less horrible.

“Really, it’s okay! You don’t hit all that hard, besides, I was the one creeping around your dark apartment installing wiring.” He held your hand with both of his. “I’m okay, don’t worry.”

The two of you meandered to the kitchen, you noticing the dark bags under Tim’s eyes once the lights in your home were all on. Parent mode kicked in, and you found yourself making him sit down while you grabbed some food to eat and made him a cup of coffee. The boy looked like he desperately needed it. Tim’s small cries of protest to you doting over him were cut off when a phone rang, specifically Tim’s phone.

His ringtone was the Nyan Cat theme, and you raised an eyebrow at him. He sent you back the mouthed words, “it can wake me up.” Ah, he uses it for its annoyance powers, probably sleeps like a rock. Your mind wandered as you stood at your kitchen counter, the cold linoleum sapping the heat from your hands. What were Roy and Kori and Jason up to now? Were they safe? Was someone hurt? Your worry for them was endless so long as they were out of your sight. You’ve known the latter two for barely a week, and you already considered them close friends. Given, you didn’t have many other friends, but nonetheless they were your people and you loved them.

Dynamics had been starting to change, and spending time around Jason left your heart doing summersaults, and you wanted more of it. Things took a big change between you two when he came to your room the other night, needing to be held. That happened sometimes. His scars would itch and his head would throb and he felt like he needed to cry but no tears would ever come, and his anxiety would bubble up until it felt like he was choking. That had happened just the other night, and he came to you. You were soft, and ever since you two had your second meeting and he took a shining to you, he thought of you as a safe terminal. To him, you were understanding and put together, and he needed that stability sometimes. He had asked for a hug and you, in your sleepy haze, told him to get under the covers and stay the night. For such a fake flirt, things between you two were surprisingly innocent, and it was nice. Really nice.

“Jason’s back, he and the others will be here soon.” Tim said as he appeared practically out of nowhere and gave you a heart attack. You jumped in surprise, eyes going wide, eliciting a snort from him. “Jumpy?”

A relieved smile spread across your face knowing your Outlaws were okay. “I guess so. I’d deny it, but we both just saw I am.” You paused for a moment. “Do you want to stay here until they get back?”

“Do you not want to be alone?”

“Oof. Yeah.” This kid saw right through you, what was he? A detective?

“I don’t mind at all. Oh! Also, I’ll show you the little emergency ‘Call Batman’ thing!” He grabbed your hand and pulled you to what would be the center of your apartment, but was really the edge of the living room. “So, I stuck it on the underside of this shelf and it’s wired into the wall, you just need to touch it, and it’ll start up the little cameras and take an audio recording, and not only will it send it straight to Batman, but it’ll also notify any of the rest of us in the area, and we’ll be there as fast as we can.”

You sent Tim an odd look, brows furrowed and mouth hanging a little open. You know, your usual stupefied face as of late. “We? Like I know I’m living with three vigilantes, but you’re one too?”

“Mhm.” He puffed his chest out. “I’m Red Robin, Dick is Nightwing, Steph is Spoiler, Cass is Black Bat, Babs is Oracle, and Bruce, our dad basically, is Batman-“

Bruce fucking Wayne was Batman and all you could do is look a little confused. You still didn’t know anything about Batman besides he existed, trained Jason, and was also Bruce Wayne. “Why is he such a big deal here?”

“Do you really not know about him?”

You shook your head.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

“I’m from Colorado, we don’t exactly have a ton of crime fighting guys running around.”

“Well, Batman works alongside the police department. He’s dressed like, well, a giant bat. And not in the furry way. His gig is no killing, he thinks villains can be saved from their madness, so he puts them in Arkham Asylum to get treatment to return to normal, or at least take on better coping mechanisms. Most villains in Gotham are just people who’ve gone a little astray, except for a handful of them, like the Joker.”

“So he’s just a dude who kicks things and sticks people in jail?”

“Yep. He’s got a big reputation though and the people love him.”

“Huh. Alright then.”

“What, expecting a more flashy answer?”

“I don’t know what I was expecting, if I’m to be honest.”

You flopped on your couch and left some room for Tim, him settling down near the other end, and the two of you talked for hours. He was great company, his voice a little shaky but his smiles warm, and his mind ran a million miles a minute. He was so similar yet so strikingly different than Jason, who was on your mind a lot lately, hence the comparisons. Tim ended up swapping phone numbers with you, just so you two could stay in touch in case of emergencies or him needing help with homework—you were a math major after all and he needed help sometimes.

Sooner or later, as all things do, the peaceful evening came to an end. Tim didn’t have to leave, no. The trio of idiotic fools in varying shades of red came tumbling through the window courtesy of Kori flying them in, which was on a cool hinge and installed with this funky plexiglass so they could pull stunts like this without breaking stuff. Roy immediately belted your name and threw himself over the couch, wrapping you in a hug and slamming you both into the floor.

Seconds later you were tugged away by Kori who gave you a kiss to the cheek before Jason squished you in a bear hug. It’s safe to say they missed you.


	6. 6 // No Crabby Attitudes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm a liar and didn't update for a long time, sorry about that. I'm starting the fun transition into using the arkham knight storyline, but with my own divergence to it. Until then, enjoy the domestic shenanigans

Now, living a life with vigilantes crashing at your apartment wasn’t where sixteen year old you ever thought you’d end up, yet here you were, soon to be nineteen, with the infamous Nightwing sprawled across your couch. Oh, and Red Hood in your shower since Arsenal was in the other one, the two having come back from an escapade involving breaking someone out of prison. Your version of normal had become way more odd than you’d ever have expected, and not to be edgy, but now? Normal was just a setting on a dishwasher. That’s a quip you stole from an audio recording you’d heard from over Tim’s commlink one time when he was snoopin’ on Harley Quinn. 

 

You’d become somewhat of an informant during winter break, with no classes and so much extra freetime, you’d crash at the Wayne Manor with Jason, specifically in his room, and during nights he’d join the fellow bats and birds while you and Alfred manned the computer which you vehemently refused to call the “bat-computer,” because it was excessive and humiliating. Bat Cave was acceptable. Batmobile was pushing it. Bat-computer was a no-no. 

 

Yet here you were, currently at home with your squad of idiot heroes and not-so-heroic heroes, pizza on its way. Knowing the other bat-boys, or well, bird boys? You knew Tim would show up with Damian sooner or later, since Dick and Jason were with you, and it’s no fun at the manor when it’s just the younger two. They lived for the drama, and there was none when Jason wasn’t around. He was a drama magnet, all because it was him who started it, not that you minded. It was like watching a very entertaining car crash: one thing after another and it was horrible but fucking hilarious. And speaking of Jason, you two had become something resembling officially dating. In between missions and outings and classes, the two of you managed to sling some dates out, and you two had found each other to be someone you’d want to spend a lot of time with. 

 

He was warm, and while he got a little aggressive and up in arms about stuff, he knew when to chill, and his humor was stupid and you loved it. He’d say something dumb and chuckle worthy, but you were the real kicker with carrying it on for the next little while in a way that left everyone groaning. It was just That Bad, and you loved it. Your first introduction to Garth was you cracking jokes with Jason over pancakes at an IHOP that Dick and Kori wanted to go to. Roy had plans with Donna, so Dick had invited Garth and Wally, and mayhem ensued. It only got worse when the booth next to you group got filled with stoners that reeked of weed, you weren’t huge into drugs, and the smell isn’t exactly, well, nice. You lived in Colorado, you’d know. 

 

Practically diving over the couch when the doorbell rang, you gave the pizza delivery girl a fat stack of one dollar bills as a tip, because anyone in their right mind wouldn’t want to be walking around Gotham this late at night, and she was a brave soul. Did it look like you stripped with how many one’s you had? Probably. Did you care? Nah. The delivery girl was pretty cute, if you were to be honest. You were bi, what can you say? She had an almost pouty look to her, eyes lined with stick eyeliner that seemed to be a little worn from the day, and her hair pulled into a very messy braid underneath the baseball cap with a pizza logo on it. She had a nice voice too, and she seemed to light up when you gave her such a nice tip. A lot of people skimped on that sort of stuff here, which was less than optimal, but it was what it was. It’s why you always tried to tip well when you could, regardless of where and how much you spent. Hell, if you could tip people that worked retail, you very very much would. They damn deserved it. 

 

Once you said bye and she went back down the stairs to the entrance of the complex, you finagled your way with the five boxes of cheesy bread with a side of tomates, and kicked the door shut. Like a dog, Dick shot up off the couch as soon as the door shut, instantly stealing the boxes from you in one swift go, and bringing them to the kitchen, where there was enough counter space that all of you could pick from the various boxes.

 

“Dick, don’t drop them,” you called after him as you walked quite literally the opposite direction to go get the others. All you ended up hearing back was a rather muffled “no promises!” 

 

You shook your head and smiled to yourself as you flung the door to your room open, hanging a little on it while it arced, you nearly falling in the process. Finding a rather undressed Jason turning around to see you, you quickly righted yourself in the most dramatique way possible, giving him the cheesiest grin you could muster. “Hey, food.” You made finger guns, as all bisexual bitches do, closed the door behind you, and went to go kick down Roy’s. Jason was your boyfriend, he didn’t care that you acted like an idiot or a 2007 emo kid sometimes. You could come home one day covered in glitter and the stuff from inside pixie stix and he’d give you a thumbs up. Truth be told, he loved how silly and ridiculous you were. It made life less serious, and he appreciated it. 

 

Much like you had called earlier, Tim and Damian had come tumbling through the window, and you found yourself surrounded by your favorite people, all eating shitty pizza and laughing. With a life with such troubles, they deserved to smile unabashedly, out of costume. They looked their ages for once. Damian was grinning and practically glowing as he relaxed into the couch cushions and joined in on the conversation, and you felt a swell of pride as you heard him. He had become less formal of speech as of late, and he sounded like any other fourteen year old. 

 

Tim was pressed against your right side, bundled in an oversized hoodie that he stole from you. He was a small seventeen year old, and you were one of his favorite people, it was only natural he stole your clothes. You stole Jason’s, it was fair. You were glad you were such a highlight in Tim’s life. He and Jason may not get along exceptionally well, but they’ve been getting better on it, especially with you as a middle ground. You were like a safe older sibling to Tim, as well as a best friend. It was a common occurrence for him to come to you with issues in his social life before anyone else, and he came to you for dating advice, especially when it came to that boy Kon-El. You got to have the gay talk with Tim, and he was in tears with happiness by the end. You and him got little matching rainbow pins, since both of you liked matching, extraordinary so with one another.

 

Jason was on your other side, Roy’s head in his lap, a common sight. Jason was pulling at his hair and nagging the ginger about something, you weren’t listening to them, focusing instead on the story Dick was telling. 

 

“So, Lilith and Raven were the only ones who could really do any damage, you know? They both have magic, the rest of us rely on material stuff, but those two girlies, man, they kicked ass--”

 

Tim piped up from beside you, your head snapping to look at him. “What about Kori?”

 

“She was handling some other stuff with her weird sister who’s apparently being nice right now? Maybe? I’m not sure. It’s why she’ll be gone for a bit, and it’s just us idiots and ______.”

 

“She probably could’ve stopped that necromancer blood wizard dude fastest out of the three--”

 

“If we’re pitting people against each other,” Jason interrupted, Roy in a headlock, “Donna versus Garth, thoughts?”

 

Dick gasped like he had heard a scandal. “Donna would Never!”

 

“Fuck yeah she wouldn’t!”

 

“Hush Roy, we weren’t asking you.”

 

“You get my input anyway!”

 

A pillow slammed Jason’s face, Damian standing on the couch with another one ready. “Let! Him! Speak!”

 

“Why do you care?”

 

“Because I’m not an ass.”

 

Another scandal gasp from Dick. “Damian you are absolutely not allowed to cuss!”

 

Your attention was drawn back to Tim as you felt him shake from laughing. Good. It had been a little while since he got to laugh like this. 

 

As always, good things have to come to an end. The big bat showed up on your fire escape, tapping on your window before gesturing to where a watch would be. Dick had gone to crack the window, and let Bruce in. Turns out Cobblepot was up to his usual shit again--smuggling some weird stuff out of ACE Chemicals, which was always bad news, especially with talk of Joker possibly being around, although that may just be rumors. Either way, the news set Jason on edge, and it was decided he and Tim would stay with you for now, Robin and Nightwing being needed for tonight’s witch hunt. 

 

Quickly cleaning up both the space and all of your acts, you and the three reds got a little multi-screen computer set up to help be an extra few sets of eyes and ears for the others. You slipped on your headphones with the microphone, and after Tim tuned you to the safe channel they all used, you said your greetings.

 

“Mamma Mia, here we go again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr @kaninkind !!


	7. 7 // Gucci Gang

“My, my. How can I resist you?” Jason’s voice was far too close to your ear and you snorted. “Seriously?”

“Sorry, babe. You walked right into that one.”

“You know,” you heard Tim from beside you speak up. “You really did walk face first into that.”

You rolled your eyes, playfully shoving Tim before the two of you started tippity tapping on your respective computers. You were to be the eyes and ears, snagging intel to give to the boys; Tim was to break down any security checks and override requests, hacker voice I’m in nerd things that you didn’t know a lot about. Jason? Well he was just armed and ready as a watch guard for you and Tim. And Roy? He was finishing scrapping together a better signal receiver for Tim’s laptop. To be able to reach those long wavelength frequencies that he needed to transmit data to the big bat and his little birds was one of the more important tasks. Communication is key, especially in situations like this one.

ACE Chemicals was no joke, you knew that much. Although, not being from Gotham certainly kept a lot of details away from you. All you knew of the place was rumors, and honestly? With how fucked up things in this city may be? It’s for the best it stayed with just the rumors. Too many details and you wouldn’t be able to sleep again. Ever, probably. It was unclear. The rumors of ACE were some of the more wild accusations you’d heard while in Gotham. Apparently, it’s where Joker became the Joker—he fell into a vat of some nasty shit (carcinogenic pesticide or something) and basically had his skin melted off kinda sorta? Whatever the case, it’s the reason why his coloring is so weird and his head so fucked due to lack of oxygen.

With Tim bypassing security measures at ACE, you tapped into the police radio and listened to it while having streetlight cameras playing their footage. Something in the corner of one of the frames caught your eye, two men and a blacked out SUV. It was a parking garage cam from across the street from ACE. You flagged Jason over with a wave and pointed, zooming in on the footage. The SUV had some sort of sticker on the back, and the men had masks over their faces that were vaguely reminiscent of Death Eaters from Harry Potter.

“They’re heading back, can you rewind it and see when they first got there?” His voice sounded a little tight, and the hand he set on your shoulder was heavy. You knew he knew something, and that these two weren’t just any two guys. With a nod and a few keystrokes, the footage rewound, and you and Jason watched a gruesome sight of the men in black carrying a man in restraints, handing him over to a group in lab coats.

“Do you know who they could be?” You inwardly cursed at how small your voice sounded.

Tim leaned over to look for himself, sucking in a sharp breath at the sight of the masks. “Jason, could Black Mask be mixed up with this too?”

“Roman. That son of a bitch is supposed to be dead.”

“When do dead villains ever truly stay dead?”

Jason was a cocktail of emotions, you could tell by the angry look on his face that he had pointed in Tim’s direction. Note to self, tense Jason’s take jokes literally.

Jason spoke up again, “if Black Mask is involved, then we need to move to a safe house. He has a whole team of hire-to-kill mercenaries who could track us down in an instant.” He nudged you and continued, “go pack a back, Roy and I will get your gear.”

You popped out of your seat, vaguely aware of the boys filling Batman in on what was just seen and your new plan of action. With quick work you shoved together enough clothes to last you a few days, and any necessities. Worst comes to worst, Jason has stuff you can steal. His clothes, although way too large, were super comfy. You slung the duffel bag over your shoulder and slipped on some shoes, you took one last look at the room, making sure you didn’t forget anything. No? No. You’re good.

You met the boys at the door, the four of you piling into the pickup truck Roy had recently bought off a shady dude on Craigslist, and began driving to the nearest hideyhole. Everyone was still in civilian clothes and incredibly tense, the ride completely silent as everyone kept their eyes peeled for trouble.

And then it happened all too fast.

Tim yelled Roy’s name, Jason yanked the steering wheel. Something barreled into the side of the truck, nearly tipping it while Roy slammed on the accelerator. Then you were moving, fast. Tim’s hand pushing your head down below the window, a gunshot, the sound of glass breaking.

You had transcended past panic and into calm fear. You didn’t know what was going on, but that was okay. This is fine. It’s not like somebody almost shot you.

“What the hell,” you could hear Roy panting between words, “was that?”

Jason called your name, ignoring Roy’s question and reaching over the back of the front seat to cup your face. “You okay?”

Your eyebrows furrowed and you nodded. “Why aren’t they chasing us?”

“Because we look like normal people, there’s a system for causing trouble in Gotham. Scrape the normal people, it calls out the heroes, then decimate the heroes. Or at least go down trying.”

“Hey what the fuck?” Tim pinched Jason’s arm, “that is NOT how it goes, and you’ll only scare them more!”

“Nah, we Gucci-“ you were cut off by the truck stopping.

“We’re here, let’s go.”

Shock was one hell of a drug, and you were more than aware that you were dazed. Your eyes slid over the tail of the truck, it looked like shit, and suddenly you were glad you were pushed down and manhandled during the collision. Ignorance is bliss, and not knowing was probably best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, all! Sorry for the wait and for how small this is. I’ve been dealing with a lot lately: college, family, and a very time consuming and hurtful partner that I’m no longer with. I really want to start writing again, and my hope is to be able to remember where I wanted to go with this story since I forgot :’)
> 
> Anyway, thank you all for your patience ♡


	8. 8 // A Symmetrical Number

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting to my homebrew mashup of RHATO and Arkham Knight. For details read the note at the end. 
> 
> Also, thank you all for you’re patience with this story. I’m not abandoning it, and I pinky promise I’ll update as often as I can. Now that I have time and an idea of where I want to go, I’m sure it’ll be far easier for me. ♡ I appreciate your kudos and comments, and I hope you all enjoy where this is headed

You didn’t really know what was up with you, you’d been out of it all evening. The truck getting rammed had definitely triggered something. For someone who managed to shoot a gun at some weird thing in Middleton, whatever that creature had been (you’d forgotten the name, honestly), a collision shouldn’t have shaken you this bad. For heaven’s sake, you’d never been in an accident before! You’d seen a cop car get hit at the intersection of Federal and 120th, two other cars getting creamed alongside the police cruiser, but that was back home. This was here. Maybe that’s why? Your first brush with almost-possibly-death in Gotham?

You knew signing up as a discount vigilante would have downsides, danger being a main one. You’d have a target on you, like Roy said, if you followed them into the night. Thoughts like this ran through your head as the boys and you found yourselves sealed in an underground bunker full of some of Jason’s gear. It was pretty spacious. When they’d said your little group was headed for a safe house, you didn’t realize it was going to be a WWII style bomb shelter, but hey. You aren’t complaining. Security was good, especially right now.

With a heavy heart and still buzzing in the cloudy way your head has been, you managed to find a minute to drag Jason aside and hug him. The look he was giving you made it apparent he knew just how you were feeling, and with a small frown he pulled you into a bear hug. His arms were tight around your torso, his face in your shoulder. “You okay?” He’d mumbled out, although you both knew the answer.

“Maybe. I think so. I’m just, I don’t know...” you trailed off with a sigh. Jason let out a small hum, letting you know he was listening. “I don’t know why I’m feeling quite like this, if I’m to be fully honest. My head’s a little hazy and I can’t seem to focus.”

“Shock will do that, _________. It’s normal, trust me. The rest of us are used to it, it’s why we can move on so fast.” His voice was soft, uncharacteristically so. There was a hint of sadness that didn’t go unnoticed. “A lot of us heroes and, well, anti-heroes, all have this. This moment, where everything falls into place, and we realize what truly matters. How small life is, and how insignificant we all are. We realize our actions can have big consequences, and in cases like us? We chose to do good with it. Or at least, if not good, morally gray.” He laughed at his own joke, pulling back from the hug to look you in your eyes. “I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while, but part of the reason my attitude towards you changed so fast was because of a moment like that.”

“You have a lot of moments when you’re in the hero business, and I had one that reminded me that I was tired of always hating myself and how I am. You know as well as I do that I’ve died and come back, my death? That’s another story for another time, but it was rough. I. I hated Bruce, was trained to loathe him because of the Joker. And despite it all my bond with B can never be what it once was. We can fix things close, or make things anew, but we can never have the past again. I want to be better though. I want to be happy. I’d been skirting along by with a self destructive attitude, but your cussing and bright self reminded me that that was a bad idea.”

“Anyway,” he said as he moved a hand up to your cheek. “My point is, this will come to pass. You’ll look back, have a moment, and realize where you could grow. And then you will. And it’ll be wonderful. Okay, _________?”

You nodded, taken aback. Jason has loosely explained once why he had had a 180 in personality, although it had been jokingly chalked up to you curing his depression. Having a more solid answer cemented a few things for you. Although one large question remained, despite it probably not being the right time for it.

“Where’s the Joker now?”

Jason stiffened, a long sigh leaving through his nose as a conflicted look passed his face. “He’s dead. And it’s for the best. He hurt too many people to be allowed to live. We don’t know who killed him, I wish it was me, but it wasn’t-“

A call from the other room of the bunker brought you and Jason out of the hall you’d been talking in, Tim and Roy clustered together in front of the smaller’s laptop. “So, status on all of this?”

You took a seat on the bed in the corner of the room, still a little fuzzy. Jason had bent over the back of Tim’s chair, the three men talking strategy as you vaguely listened. From what little you knew, and what little you grabbed from their conversation, the Joker being dead for the past few years had made a power vacuum. People like Professor Pyg and Harley Quinn has been on the rise to take his place, even Riddler had been having a spike in activity. Bruce was talking with the boys the whole time, and a plan was formed.

Jason was to make a new persona as the Arkham Knight and use it to get into Black Mask’s ranks to gather intel. Bad news? That meant limited contact with you for a while. Good news? Data would be collected on Roman and the why behind his resurgence. You didn’t like this one bit, a scowl crossing your face as you flopped back on the bed. Sure, Jason wasn’t technically your boyfriend, but it didn’t change the fact that you didn’t want him to be doing something so dangerous.

Just what kind of mess had you gotten into?

You were further annoyed when your phone buzzed. Pulling it from your pocket, you were met with a sight that raised your mood a little. Kori has texted, stuff with Blackfire having been settled.

«Hello darling! How goes the day?»

A distraction from this weird reality that left you empty feeling. A blessed distraction. You dove into conversation with the lovely girl, forgetting your momentary upset. Kori’s way with words was unusual, yet you found yourself unwinding and getting back in touch with reality. She kept you grounded, despite her rarely ever touching the floor.

Bruce’s voice continued to spill through Tim’s speakers as you came to a resolve. “Batman,” you spoke up, cutting over something dumb Roy said. “I want to help. What can I do?”

“You have no training, nor abilities. I should send you straight home, but with some guidance from Oracle you’d be a great asset.”

“Could _________ learn from Babs in the clocktower while Jay goes undercover?” Roy asked, quietly adding on a moment later, “it would be safer than with me and Kori. The tower is practically the safest place in Gotham, minus your house.”

“Manor,” Tim corrected him. “It’s a manor. Not a house.”

“Bigass bungalow, try that on for size.”

Bruce’s staticky voice was back. “Enough, Arsenal. It sounds like a solid plan, I’ll have Nightwing get in touch with her. We’ll figure something out.”

You thought back to what Jason said. You’d have your moment, and you’d help however you could. Little did you know the fate of Gotham depended on it, and you’d be faced with enough tragedy to make even the strongest of heroes crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Arkham Knight has a lot of good plot points. One of the big changes I’m making is that Jason has already come to somewhat of an understanding with Bruce. In this, his death follows the canon of new 52, making the Joker brainwashing business out of the question. However, who’s to say there wasn’t some jabs thrown about Batman not coming to save Robin as the crowbar was going on. This will loosely follow the game, I plan to leave out the Joker blood stuff since there’s no reason to kill off a perfectly good Dad, but Scarecrow’s shenanigans and all the other bosses will be fun to work with. To keep it simple: Jason will be one hell of an actor, the reader learns about overcoming mental illness and being better, and other characters will develop and whatnot. 
> 
> Also because I am nice I will not be killing anyone off, major character death makes me a sad boy. I want my story to be dramatic, but not that dramatic. And to push the storyline, I’ll most certainly be keeping Jason and the reader apart for a while. Drama and all that


End file.
